What to make of the PM’s China visit?

The writer is a development anthropologist. He can be reached at [email protected]

While the country was still reeling from the TLP agitation following the Supreme Court’s acquittal of Aasia Bibi, our PM embarked on his second bilateral visit since coming to power less than a 100 days ago. Now the PM and the high-level delegation accompanying him are back home, there are varied assessments concerning the outcome of this important foreign trip.

Our new PM decided to forego the opportunity to address the UN General Assembly soon after coming to power. Instead, he went first to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and then China. He visited Saudi Arabia despite the controversy stirred by the killing of a famous Saudi journalist in Istanbul and this visit paid off resulting in promises of a $6 billion infusion into Pakistan’s cash-strapped economy.

After the Saudi/UAE visit, it was not surprising to see China as the next country on our PM’s itinerary. The ongoing CPEC project has brought Pakistan and China much closer together. While CPEC offers Pakistan a unique opportunity to grow and prosper, the........